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“A mutation in Toxoplasmosis causes menstruating women to turn into ferocious killer wildcats—easily provoked and extremely dangerous. As panic spreads and paranoia takes root, the fate of the world rides on the shoulders of one twelve-year-old girl. Part Cat People, part The Handmaid’s Tale, MAN-EATERS will have everyone talking.”

Just like the description indicates, Man-Eaters will definitely get everyone talking. And trust me, I haven’t stopped yet. Last week, I gave my friend the description of this comic. She said, “No way is that an actual comic.” Ah, little does she know, low and behold, Chelsea Cain made it happen. Man-Eaters is a clever take on that time of the month and how it effects. However, it’s also very scarily accurate to today’s political climate that sees teenage girls, or girls in general, as something to indeed fear.

via Image Comics

Chelsea Cain continues to be unapologetic when it comes to her writing. Cain has taken on the best of them and come out swinging because she’s just that damn good. Cain tells the stories of women in a way that we haven’t seen before. In Man-Eaters, she matches that strong feminism with biting wit. She creates an alternative yet haunting future where teenage girls who aren’t given a choice in the future that they’ve been given. It’s such an outstanding debut of a comic that hits on all the right notes that would scare men, women and all people alike.

The inspiration she draws on within this comic is something that honestly fascinates me. I wanted to dive a little deeper into it. Please indulge me just this bit. “Part Cat People, part The Handmaid’s Tale” could not be further from each other, but together it makes so much sense of how Cain does this first issue so wonderfully.

Cat People is a movie where a woman has to suppress her sexual urges and keep in line. She is very much afraid that if she expressed them, she would turn into a big ol’ cat. Handmaiden’s Tale is the dystopian future where a woman is stripped of their rights altogether. However, in a world where handmaidens are meant to bring children into this world, it’s a bit of a no-no to have your period. Taking the ‘they turn into a cat’ with ‘after they get their periods’ is brilliance. I am in utter awe. Bringing these two inspirations together to create Man-Eaters is something of a glorious mesh of storytelling that only Cain can come up with. This along with a protagonist that is about to go through the most important and toughest time of her life.

via Image Comics

Speaking of the young protagonist, one thing that very much sticks with you in Cain’s writing is how much she’s telling the experience through a twelve-year-old. She’s smart and observant of the world going on around her, especially with her dad being a police officer. You immediately identify with her. As she narrates the story, you feel uneasy about the world she’s a part of. The politics, agenda, and freedom of the people all combine in a harrowing sense of fear for anyone of “her kind.”

The ending of this comic almost floored me. Our protagonist gets the one thing that might be harmful to her and will change her life forever. Her period. Cain writes something so relatable, but funny and eerie, but hypnotizing. She masters all of this in just one issue. It will leave you scratching your head with how much more she’s going to bring you in the future. (Put her back on Vision, you cowards.)

Kate Niemczyk is such a superb artist that you’d be an absolute fool to ignore everything she can do. She continues to bring such high visuals to Cain’s comics. They’re one of my favorite comic marriages of artist and writer. This must have Rachelle Rosenberg in this marriage with her colors as well. Niemczyk’s art brings more of the narrative to the forefront, sneaking in small details within to give you such a feel for this world. She gives way to some stunning panels that you can’t help but look inside and see every little piece that’s there.

via Image Comics

For example, there’s a two-pager that’s one panel, and she gives that entire thing such a personality. It’s just a set of apartment buildings on top of shops. However, you feel like you have a sense of your everyday hometown. You even feel this with our protagonist. She gives her a design that we all can relate to and yet has everyday little random things within her space. Niemczyk’s art brings that out in Man-Eaters, you’re left feeling like this place could be anywhere or anytime. Even the additional interior arts by Stella Greenvoss melts into this world of wonder. They sit you down in this world, straps you in and let you piece together the journey that you’re about to head into.

I LIVE for Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors in this issue. She creates so many different types of moods with her colors that you’re left amazed by how she does it. She brings natural colors in that supply the feeling of the “hometown” effect of Niemczyk’s art. But then, it sometimes shifts. You venture into the dark and gritty panels when the cats attack. Or, the sobering sunset colors of the girls in line and chained. It’s such a duel mood with her colors in this book that it leaves you with a knot. Niemczyk’s art goes hand in hand with Rosenberg’s dynamic colors. It captures and creates the overall feeling of being unsafe in this world and not knowing what’s going to happen next.

via Image Comics

Joe Caramagna letters in a way that doesn’t let you miss a bit of the action in this comic. He also letters in a way that makes the dialogue funnier. I know that’s a bit weird to say. Caramagna knows how to place in a way that lets everything land properly. He allows your eyes to scan from panel to panel, but space his balloon placements enough or close enough to let them be just so funny. There’s a couple of panels at the beginning where I couldn’t help but giggle. This was because of Cain’s script, but the flow came from the placement of Caramagna’s letters.

Man-Eaters #1 is a triumph from a team that brings their own undeniable storytelling that is meant to be seen and heard. It fills all the criteria you want in a comic: feminism, revenge, cats, cool t-shirts you definitely will want to make, and more. Man-Eaters #1 is now available on Comixology and your local comic shop.

9/26/2018 Releases – In addition to MAN-EATERS #1, here’s a list of other new titles that came out this week that you should be reading.